


No Brainer?

by ApplePie13



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, BAMF Sam Winchester, Brain Damage, Demon Blood, Demon Blood Addict Sam Winchester, Demonic Possession, Demons, Gen, Head Injury, Hospitals, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Dean, Injured Sam, Kidnapping, Language, Mind Manipulation, Minor Character Death, Murder, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Not Canon Compliant, Protective Bobby Singer, Protective Dean, Protective Sam Winchester, Rehabilitation, Sam Winchester's Demonic Powers, Seizures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-07-23 18:53:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7475877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApplePie13/pseuds/ApplePie13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An accident leaves Sam seriously injured and Dean facing tough decisions as a consequence. Will Sam recover, or will the monsters the boys hunt take advantage of their unfortunate circumstances?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I seem to be on a roll with churning out fics this week :) Going to try my hand at writing a multi-chapter story this time. This chapters a little on the short side but i thought it was a good enough to set the scene.  
> Hope you enjoy :)

“So let me get this straight…we’re sweating our asses off in Florida in the middle of summer on some _maybe_ hunt, when we could be hittin’ the clubs and livin’ it up in Miami instead?!” Dean lamented, as he fanned himself, with one hand resting on the steering wheel, trying to combat the inevitable spread of sweat patches that were determined to make the t-shirt under his plaid shirt into one giant soggy mess.

“ Livin’ it up? What are you Dean, a college cheerleader?” came the retort from Dean’s younger sibling Sam, who sat in the passenger seat of the ’67 Impala with reams of paper spread over his lap.  
“Yes Dean thats the plan….like I told you the last 6 times you asked me that exact same question. Dude, pull over before you run us off the road!” without looking up from the research on his lap, he could see that his brother  had now decided the sun was making it far too hot to be wearing his flannel shirt  anymore (Why was he even wearing it in the first place?!).  
“Sammy Sammy Sammy…” Dean tsked, valiantly attempting to pull one arm out from the flannel sleeve, whilst the other remained fixed on the steering wheel of his Baby as she hurtled down the empty stretch of highway  
“You don’t get your head out of your ass its gonna stick!“  
  
Sam didn't even have chance to roll his eyes at his brother, because on the previously deserted road stretching ahead of them, a panther had seemingly appeared out of nowhere… and straight into their oncoming path.  
  
“DEAN!”

“Son of a bitch!!” 

Tires squealed on the asphalt, but with no success. A loud thump and the smashing of glass, the world spun round and round in dizzying circles, as Baby tumbled over and over down the grass verge at the edge of the road. The impala’s descent finally ceased when it reached the bottom of the incline, thankfully  landing on its four wheels. However, this stroke of luck remained unnoticed, both Winchesters were dead to the world.

 

*******************************

 The path back to consciousness was a familiar trail for Dean Winchester. After all, it was part of a Hunter’s job description- get tossed around and knocked out more often than it probably healthy. No matter how familiar the feeling was, it never got any easier, and Dean’s return to consciousness was a long time coming. The first thing he became aware of was a pounding in his skull that felt like the times he turned AC/DC on full blast in the car. A groan escaped him, as more feelings in his body slowly made themselves known.  
_“God h’w much did I h’ve to drink las’ night?”_ he mused aloud to himself, not even attempting to open his eyes. The idea of clubbing in Miami drifted through his foggy mind.

“ _…could be hittin’ the clubs and livin’ it up in Miami…”  
_ No…something wasn't right there….there was a case…Sam had said-

  
“SAM!” Dean jolted to full consciousness, his eyes shooting open, finding himself leaning heavily on the Impala’s steering wheel, the driver’s side window slowly coming into focus as did memories of the car crash that stole his consciousness from him.  In all the confusion from hitting the panther and the car doing its best to simulate what being in a washing machine during its spin-cycle, Dean couldn't say what had happened to him or Sam. But the fact that his brother hadn't been trying to rouse Dean from his unconsciousness and the fact that his desperate shout remained unanswered forced Dean to, slowly, move himself back from his position on the steering wheel. That simple movement caused his vision to waiver and whirl. _Definitely got a knock to the head and at least a sprained rib or two._ Trying to put as little stress on his ribs as possible, Dean started to turn himself to face the passenger side of the Impala. It felt like a stone had dropped in his stomach when his eyes finally made sense of the sight before. Sammy, his whole body slouched against the passenger door.  The most obvious trauma was Sam’s head, hanging out of the open window, covered in blood, making Dean’s already unsettled stomach churn. Dean slowly scooted across the bench seat, to get a closer look at his him, noticing that the wound on Sam’s forehead that was responsible for all the blood had mostly stopped bleeding, and the blood that coated his face had had time to dry.  
  
_How long had they been out for?  
_

With this thought, the realisation that no-one knew what had happened to them, no-one knew they needed help. Dean extracted his phone from his jeans, calling 911 and letting them know their general location and injuries, before he hung up to refocus his efforts on his still unconscious little brother.

Even though his ribs protested, he reached over to his brother’s head, supporting it lightly as he attempted to shift Sam, so his head was no longer half out of the window; instead he now lay with his head and shoulders in his older brother’s lap. Throughout Dean’s manipulations, Sam remained limp, like a marionette with its strings cut.  
“Sammy? Up and at ‘em tiger, time to wake up!” Dean cajoled lightly, hoping to rouse his brother to consciousness easily and not startle him, but to no avail.  
“Come on little brother, you're starting to scare me now! And you know I don’t scare easy!”. He carded his fingers gently through his little brother’s hair, carefully avoiding the large gash that covered his forehead.  
“Sammy. Can you open your eyes for me buddy? Let me see those puppy-dog eyes!”

  
Dean’s persistence was rewarded, as Sam groaned, Dean placed his hands on either side of his brother’s head to stop him from rolling it from side to side on his lap, as his eyelids fluttered open tohalf-mast to reveal glassy and unfocussed hazel eyes.  
“Atta Boy, Sammy! Thought you were gonna’ miss the party!” he tried his best to keep his voice upbeat, so as not to alarm Sam, but Dean could see through Sam’s partially open eyes, that his brother’s pupils weren't equal size, added to the fact that his gaze had yet to focus led Dean to suspect Sam had one hell of a concussion.  
“Mmuuhh- D’n? Wha’hpned?” Sam slurred out, his eyes rolling in their sockets as he attempted to focus his gaze.  
“ A damn Pink Panther reject decided to take a stroll in front of Baby, thats what happened!” he chuckled, his gaze quickly turning sober when his brother’s hand lifted and wavered up to his head.  
“Why’s m’head hurt?” his hand coming into contact with the gash on his forehead and Sam’s complexion instantly greened.  
“Hey hey, don't touch that buddy, you're a bit banged up, but helps on the way. All you gotta do is relax and not puke in Baby”  
“D’n?  
“Yeah Sammy?  
“ ‘M not feelin’ S’good” And with that, Sam’s eyes rolled up into his head, as he started to convulse in his brother’s lap. 

 

************************************************************


	2. Chapter two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me again :D just want to say a big thank you for everyone who took the time to read the first chapter and leave kudos and comments. 
> 
> I would just like to say at this point that I am not medically trained, but I did a lot of research and maybe had to tweak some medical accuracies to suit my needs :P 
> 
> Hope you enjoy this new chapter :)

 Dean’s world seemed to reduce, his sole focus was on his baby brother. His baby brother who was seizing and grunting in his arms. All of a sudden, as if they had appeared from nowhere. there were voices and strange hands converging on him and Sam. Hands were trying to pull him out of the car, away from his brother, the brother who he had sworn to protect  since he was placed in his arms that fateful night.

  
_“”Sammy…No!”  
“Sir? Sir! We need you to come with us so we can help him!” _ the hands continued to pull at him, pulling him out of the car, as more bodies surrounded his now, thankfully still, brother.

Dean, detachedly felt himself being led over to a waiting ambulance.  
Voices of the EMTs surrounding his brother drifted over towards them.

  
_“Patient’s eyes are fixed and dilated, breathing is irregular! Lets get a head and neck immobiliser on him and lets get him on a backboard ASAP!”_  
  
“Sir? Can you tell me your name?”  An EMT crouched in front of  him where he sat on the gurney  of the ambulance, as a blanket was wrapped around his shoulders, and a light was shone into each of his eyes.  
  
“Crap! BP is dropping and I don't have any breath sounds!”  
  
“Sir! Focus on me! You're going into shock! Can you tell me your name!  
“…Dean…m’names Dean….that’s m’brother Sam… I need…need to go help him.” he attempted to stand, fighting against the hands that were holding him back. His brother needed him!  
_“Dean! Stop fighting us Dean! You need to stay still! Hey Jack, I need a sedative, patient is going into shock and combative!”_  
Dean felt a pinch in his arm, and soon after he felt himself become drowsy and felt himself being lowered and laid down.

  
“S’mmy…gotta…keep…S’mmy……sa…fe” .

 

_*****************_

  
The next thing Dean knew, he was lying in a hospital, his ribs wrapped up tight and his head pounding.  
“ ‘Bout time you joined the land of the livin’” a gruff voice sounded beside him. Not realising he had company, Dean’s head whirled to the side to see non-other than Bobby Singer, baseball cap and all, sat at his bedside.  
“Bobby? What’re you doin’ here?” he slurred slightly, bringing a hand up to his head, as it protested to being moved so quickly.  
“Well, unlike you, Sam had the sense he was born with and had me listed as his emergency contact. An’ before you get yourself in a tizz’ ‘bout Sam, no I ain’t heard anything about how he is since they told me he was goin’ into surgery!”  
  
As if he had been waiting  for a suitable time to announce his arrival, a Doctor dressed in his uniform of scrubs drew back the curtains that surrounded Dean’s bed.  
“Ah Mr… Singer glad to see you're awake! I’m Doctor Hopkins and I’ll be overseeing both you and your brother’s treatments.” the Doctor smiled politely as he checked Dean’s file, allowing Bobby to communicate through eye contact alone that both Dean and Sam were listed as Bobby’s nephews.  
The Doctor noticed none of this, and instead came around the side of Dean’s bed.

  
“Where’s my brother? How is he? I need to see him!”  
“Now Dean, I need you to take it easy! By the time the EMTs found you and your brother, you had started to show signs of shock, the EMTs thought it best to sedate you to transport you to the hospital, its been nearly three hours since you arrived at the hospital, so the sedatives have worked their way out of your system. You suffered a mild concussion-nothing serious, but it will most likely cause headaches and some light sensitivity” Dean nodded, already recognising the signs of a concussion.  
“The car accident also caused breaks to two of your ribs, so we have wrapped them in order for them to set. It will be uncomfortable for a few weeks, and you'll need to limit your activities until they heal.  At the moment, you haven't had any pain relief,  but we can prescribe a mild dose so it wont interfere with or cause any complications  while your concussion heals.” The doctor rattled these facts out to Dean, but he was barely listening, all he could think about was how the doctor had avoided answering his questions about Sam.  
  
“No offence Doc, but I asked you about my brother. Where the hell is he? He had a damn seizure and now you're not tellin’ me how he…wait….don’t you dare tell me he’s…he can't be?” Dean lurched forward, gasping out as his ribs protested. Images of his brother lying lifelessly on a gurney, all alone.  
“What? No Sam can’t be…dead!” Bobby jumped in, supporting Dean’s back, so that he wouldn't put any more strain on his ribs.  
“I’m sorry…I should have addressed your questions first, I didn't mean to alarm you. No Dean, your brother isn't dead-“ Dean let out a sigh of relief, sagging back into Bobby’s supportive hold, as his surrogate Uncle helped him lie back in the bed, and the Doctor continued.  
“But I’m afraid its not that simple. When you lost control of the car, it rolled down the embankment, and as neither of you were wearing seatbelts, both you and your brother were obviously tossed around the car as it rolled. You ended up being lucky with only suffering broken ribs and a mild concussion. Sam, on the other hand, hasn't been so lucky. As far as we can tell, as the car was rolling, Sam’s head hit the passenger door window and probably banged against the window frame as well, rendering him unconscious-“  
  
“But he woke up! He was talking to me! So he’s just got a worse concussion than me? We’ve both dealt with concussions before Doc, but Sammy’s never had a _seizure_ before!” Dean interrupted, not liking the way this conversation was going.

  
“Yes, Dean, the blow to the head most likely caused a concussion. However, the force with which Sam hit the window frame caused some swelling in his brain,causing a partial interruption in blood flow to part of his brain- what we call Cerebral Hypoxia. This lead to him having a seizure. As the EMT’s were preparing to move him from the car, his blood pressure started to drop and he suffered from another seizure. He was taken straight into surgery to relieve some of the pressure in his head to prevent further seizures.” Dean stared at the Doctor, Bobby had said that Sam had been in surgery, but Dean had never expected it to be _brain surgery_! 

  
“Part way through the procedure he stopped breathing, resulting in us having to resort to putting him on a ventilator. He’s made it through the surgery and we have him on medication to try and reduce the swelling. But here is the part that may be most difficult to hear. After the surgery, we ran a number of tests on Sam’s brain to assess whether the swelling caused any damage to its function. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but throughout the tests Sam remain’ed unresponsive.   This had lead us to a diagnosis of him being in a Vegetative State—“

“No!” both Dean and Bobby cried out vehemently, Sam wasn’t…Sam couldn't be… _brain dead.  
_

“ I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you this, but at the moment Sam’s prognosis does not look good. A diagnosis of a VS means that Sam’s organ systems can carry on functioning, but there is  no self or environmental awareness. Now it is possible that his condition could improve, but…”  
“But you're saying Sammy’s never gonna’ be the same again? That he’ll be brain damaged?”  
“Yes I’m afraid so, but we wont know how badly affected he is until he regains consciousness… _if_ he regains it.”  
“I want to see him! I want to see my brother NOW!!”  
Doctor Hopkins nodded, saying that he would arrange for a wheelchair to get Dean to Sam’s room in the ICU.

 

*********************************

  
Bobby slowly wheeled Dean through the corridors leading to the ICU wing. Once they reached the reception desk they asked one of the nurses to be directed to Sam’s room. Both Bobby and Dean hovered outside of Sam’s room whilst a friendly looking nurse, who informed them her name was Sherri, did some routine checks of Sam’s vitals. Once she was finished and they were allowed into Sam’s room. Dean was speechless, he didn't know what he was expecting when he imagined seeing Sam, but it wasn't this.  Aside from the ventilator and the thick bandage that covered his head, Sam looked as if he was simply sleeping. Once Dean was at Sam’s bedside, Bobby put the brakes on the wheelchair, he cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable.  
“I’ll give you two a bit’a privacy…” He muttered, moving towards the door. If Dean hadn't been solely focussed on his little brother, he would have seen the slight shake in Bobby’s hand as he lifted it to wipe a stray tear away.  
  
Dean gently lifted his baby brother’s hand, mindful of the IV line and pulse meter that adorned his hand.  
“I’m here Sammy, everything gonna’ be ok little brother. You're gonna be just fine!” and with that he finally let the tears fall.  
  
**********************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loved it? Hated it? not bothered ? let me know leave me a comment! :D


	3. Chapter three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo new chapter! I decided to take a little longer on this one to make sure i was completely happy with it. I noticed in the last chapter i made some errors, so I've gone back and changed them so feel free to read them again :D  
> A big thank you to everyone who has subscribed, bookmarked and given kudos to this story so far...you guys are ace :D  
> I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions in the comments :D  
> Again I am no medical professional-just a nerd who likes to research :D there may be medical errors 
> 
> Enjoy :D

One week later and Dean was fully discharged from the hospital, with his ribs and concussion both on their way to healing nicely.  With a prescription of painkillers for his still sore ribs, Dean would only need a few more weeks to be back to full health. Bobby was busy making accommodation arrangements for both him, Dean and Sam  (for when he was well enough to leave the hospital, and he _would_ leave the hospital with them). Sam’s recovery however, was a different story. If the Doctors and Nurses had thought that Dean’s hospital discharge would reduce the numbers of visits  Dean made to his brother’s ICU room they were correct….only because Dean barely left Sam’s side since he was discharged.  
  
The only times he left his vigil in Sam’s ICU room was when he was asked to leave by the staff, in order for Sam to have ‘some sense of privacy’ while the nurses and Doctors ran further tests and saw to his ‘personal needs’. Dean was reluctant even to leave his brother for those short times. He was of the opinion that Sam would feel far more comfortable having _him_ see to his needs rather than these strangers who knew nothing about Sam before the accident.  
“Maybe its a good thing you're still asleep Sammy, since Nurse Ratchet’s got mighty fond of her sponge bath duty!”

Although like all his opinions so far on Sam’s care, they had been tactfully ignored by the hospital staff, who were after all, just there to do their jobs.  
  
Both Bobby and Dean had had many a discussion with multiple Doctors about Sam’s condition. One week since the accident hadn't given Sam a chance for his condition to improve much, if at all.   
The Doctors had told Dean that Sam was sedated and would remain so while he was on the ventilator, which the nurses assured Dean, was just as a precaution and to let his lungs heal fully without added stress. All of the Doctors and nurses dealing with Sam’s care, had agreed with Doctor Hopkin’s initial diagnosis of Sam being in a Vegetative State, with most of them saying there was  little to no chance of ‘meaningful recovery’.  
Thankfully, for Dean’s remaining sanity, one of Sam’s Primary care Nurse, Nurse Yasmin, remained optimistic.  
“From what you've told me about Sam, he sounds like a fighter. I have a feeling he’s going to surprise us all once he’s off the ventilator!”  
Dean most definitely agreed. Sammy was a stubborn kid!  
  
***********************************************************************

 

Two weeks later and Dean was once again at Sam’s bedside. Doctor Hopkin’s had deemed Sam’s Lungs to be healed enough to start the weaning him off of the Ventilator, starting by ceasing the administration of the sedatives that he had previously been on.  
“Once the sedative’s have run their course, Sam should hopefully start trying to breathe on his own and trigger the Vent, once he does that we can start to lower the settings on the Vent until we can remove it. After that we can reassess his brain activity and make a more accurate diagnosis for your brother.”  
  
That had been the day before and as Dean sat holding his brother’s limp hand, the machine attached to the Vent began to beep, this was not a new development, it had been happening more and more frequently as the day went on, the only difference this time was as the machine carried on beeping, a gagging sound could be heard coming from Sam.  
  
“Sammy? What’s going on? He’s choking! Is he waking up??” He pleaded for information as the Nurse Yasmin and Doctor Hopkins rushed into the room with a tray of instruments that Dean had no idea what were for.  
“Sam’s trying to breath on his own, but he’s finding it difficult with the Vent in, so we’re going to remove it and suction any blockages in his mouth and throat. This is a good thing Dean!” Nurse Yasmin smiled at him while Doctor Hopkins started to remove the tape from around Sam’s mouth that kept the ventilator in place.  
  
“OK, removing the Vent now! Suction at the ready!” 

 

The Doctor pulled the tube out from Sam’s mouth and throat when Sam next exhaled, and a horrible gagging cough filled the room. Nurse Yasmin descended on Sam with the suction device.  
Dean stood on the other side of the nurse, shell-shocked. One minute they were sat (in Sam’s case lying) quietly and then the room had erupted into action.  
Nurse Yasmin had finished suctioning Sam’s throat and she stood back, smoothing out Sam’s blankets that had got disturbed during the procedure.  
“We’ll give Sam some time to settle, but we’d like to take him for a few more tests to assess his brain activity now that he is no longer sedated and he's had the Ventilator removed. We’ll be back in a few hours.” 

************************************  
**   
Later that afternoon, the orderlies wheeled Sam’s bed back into his room, followed by Nurse Yasmin and Doctor Hopkins

“There we go cutie, lets get you settled. and now that tubes out  maybe I’ll be able to see those puppy dog eyes Deans always telling me about” she said as she worked, patting Sam’s hand. Dean liked her, she treated Sam as an actual person and not as an unfeeling….vegetable (Sam wasn't a vegetable _his Sammy wasn't braindead!)  
_ “Now Nurse Yasmin, what have you been told about giving false hope to Patients and their families?” Doctor Hopkins said sternly. 

  
“No offence Doc, but she aint givin’ me any false hope, I know Sam a damn sight better than any of you and If i know Sammy, I know he's a stubborn lil’ son of a bitch and he's fighting whatever’s keepin’ him from waking up, aint that right Sammy?!” Scowling at the Doctor, Dean sat down next to Sam again, taking his hand back and stroking the back of his brother’s hand.

 

“Now Dean, I commend you for staying so positive under the circumstances. But what you've got to realise is that Sam suffered major head trauma!  Like I said earlier, now that he's no longer sedated and ventilated we've been able to get a better picture of what his condition is….and Dean, I'm afraid it isn't the news you may be hoping for. I would appreciate if you would allow me to explain Sam’s case uninterrupted” the Doctor motioned for Nurse Yasmin to close the door for some privacy.  
  
“When we have a patient who has undergone any type of head trauma, in Sam’s case Cerebral Hypoxia, we test a patient’s responses to certain tests and compare his results to a scale called the FOUR score. These tests examine: Eye, motor, brainstem and respiratory responses.    
The FOUR scale is graded out of 16, the lowest possible score being 4, which in layman terms means a patient is essentially braindead. The higher the score, the more responsive a patient is and therefore the higher the level of consciousness. Now the tests that we have just taken have scored Sam at a score of 9/10 which is classed as a Moderate case of Vegetative State.” Doctor Hopkin’s paused briefly, letting Dean take in Sam’s diagnosis.

  
“I know it doesn't seem like it now, but Dean, Sam’s condition _has_ improved! He’s off the Ventilator and his breathing is regular, giving him a higher score than when he was first examined. A vegetative state is different from a coma. Unlike a patient in a coma, Patients in a vegetative state have varying degrees of environmental awareness, in Sam’s case he currently responds somewhat to pain, by opening his eyes and flexing to try to remove himself from the pain stimulus, he also has a gag reflex, which are all good signs. Now Dean, you seem like the kind of person who doesn't like things sugar coated, so I wont insult you by doing so, whilst Sam’s condition is classed as moderate, there is the chance of him both improving but his state could also get worse, the longer he remains in a vegetative state, the more likely it is he wont recover from this and he will be classed as being in a Persistent Vegetative State. From my personal experience with the injuries Sam has suffered and how he is responding now, I would suggest you start looking for a Long-term care facility for patients in a Persistent Vegetative State. I’m very sorry Mr Winchester.” 

 

And with that both Doctor Hopkins and Nurse Yasmin left the room. Leaving Dean to watch over his baby brother, who just less than a month ago had been smart, kind, funny and a goddamn know-it-all! And who might never be those things to Dean ever again.

 

 

*******************************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love it? Hate it? just want to chat? leave me a comment :D


	4. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry on the wait for this chapter, life happened and suddenly I realised it had nearly been a month since I last posted!  
> Again thank you to everyone who has given this story Kudos/comments/subscribed to this story so far, it means a lot!  
> Hope you all enjoy this chapter, as always comments are greatly appreciated! :) 
> 
> *Please note that this chapter has some language in it*

Dean was sitting alone in an empty waiting area, cradling a cup of (what the hospital called) coffee, but with the way that its bitter taste thickly coated his tongue , suggested that the machine that dispensed it contained a sludge-producing monster.

  _“Better take a look at that at some-point”_  
 Because at this moment in time, anything to distract him would be better than spending day and night sat by his oblivious brother’s side. With that thought came a feeling like a punch to the gut.  
  
_Guilt._  
   
“ _If only Dad could see me now”_ Dean thought morosely. He knew that if his dad were here he’d get his ass kicked to hell and back! What was he doing sat on his own wallowing in self-pity? Dean had no right to feel like the world had done him an injustice.

 After all, Sam hadn't been the one driving the Impala that day, hadn't been the one who took his eye off the road at the worst possible time. Dean deserved to be punished, every action has a consequence. But it was Sam who had to pay the consequences for Dean’s mistake, that in itself was punishment enough for Dean.  
  
And with that thought,  Dean got to his feet, wiping a stray tear that had somehow appeared on his cheek (damn seasonal allergies!) and headed back in the direction of his brother’s hospital room. So distracted with his maudlin thoughts, Dean didn't immediately react when he walked into his Sam’s room to the sight of Doctor Hopkins in the room…holding a pillow over his brother’s face.  
“What the fuck?!” Dean shouted, making the Doctor turn, revealing coal black eyes as he faced Dean.  
 Dropping the pillow from Sam’s face the Demon-Doctor moved his hand towards Dean, who found himself slamming into the wall furthest from Sam’s bed and sticking to it, as the door to the hospital room slammed shut.

  
“Ah, Dean! So glad you could join the party, I was beginning to think that poor Sammy here would have no audience for his final breath!” the Demon smiled, moving closer to the machines and screens that monitored Sam’s vitals. Waving a hand towards them, silencing them immediately, the screens going blank.

  
“What the hell do you want?” Dean spat out through clenched teeth, the demon having immobilised nearly all of his movements as he was pinned against the wall.

  
“Now- correct me if I’m merely stating the obvious here- but judging by the pillow i had shoved in your little brother’s face, I’d take a gamble at saying that I came here to kill Little Sammy Winchester!” 

Chuckling, the Demon put his hand on the top of Sam’s head and started to stroke through his hair, flicking his other wrist to gag the angry growl that came from Dean at the sight of Sam being touched by the demon.

  
“And here I thought the Big-Bad-Winchester brothers were something to be feared, HA! Ive been in this schmuck of a Doctor’s body for weeks and you haven't batted an eyelid! I thought I’d been outed when I called you Winchester earlier on- after all, he's Sam Singer in his admission forms…but nope, not even a flicker of doubt! Obviously too wrapped up in poor little Sammy. Bad news for you, but after I kill the two of you…I’ll be treated like a King in Hell! The Demon that finally killed the Winchesters! Now, shall I start with little Sammy here first? After all it wont take much to finish him off, but Im gonna’ take my time with you-“  
  
Suddenly the door to the hospital room, to reveal Bobby standing in the threshold.

  
“Ah go to Hell ya’ Idjit!” and with that he began reciting the latin exorcism that all good hunters knew by rote.

  
The Demon began to writhe and black smoke began spewing from his mouth,  but Dean remained pinned immobile to the wall, desperately wanting to be over at Sam’s side.  
   
“ _…Facias Libertate Servire, Te Rogamus, Audi Nos!_ ” with a final scream, the demon was expelled from its unwilling host. Doctor Hopkins bonelessly dropped to the floor, as Dean slid down the wall, finally detached, but unable to make it to his feet. Being slammed into a solid wall, unsurprisingly, did no favours for his still healing ribs.  
  
“You’d think they’d’ve learnt by now to paraphrase their ‘evil-plan’ speech wouldn't ya?” Bobby gruffed, bending down beside the Doctor, checking for a pulse.  
“Doc’s alive at least”  
“Check Sam’s ok! Damn demon bastard was smotherin’ him!” Dean wheezed, trying to brace his sore ribs as he tried to get to his feet.  
“Stop fidgeting, ya’ idjit, else you’ll damage ya’ ribs even more! Sam’s fine, I can see him breathing from here!”  
  
Despite Bobby’s assurances, Dean managed to get to his feet and hobbled as quickly as he could to Sam, his hand automatically going to card through his brother’s unruly hair. he silently catalogued his brother’s features, looking for anything wrong or out of place, but everything was fine, and Sam ‘slept’ on unaware that he’d nearly died…again.  
  
“You sure are determined to miss out on all the fun, Little Brother!” rubbing his thumb across his brother’s bruised cheek.  
  
A groan sounded from behind him as Doctor Hopkins regained consciousness

“Wha-…..whats going on?” Bobby gently helped the Doctor sit up, supporting him when he began to list to the side.  
With a final glance at his brother, Dean went over and crouched down beside Bobby and the confused Doctor.  
  
“You were possessed by a demon.” Dean was never one to beat around the bush, that was more Sam’s forte. 

  
Both he and Bobby helped the Doctor to his feet and into the vacated chair by Sam’s bed, as the Doctor told them his last clear, demon free memory: walking out of the room of his newest patient, Sam Singer, who had suffered a head injury from a car accident, when he was suddenly surrounded by black smoke as it forced its way down his throat, pushing him into a corner of his own mind, unable to do anything to stop it. The next week or so were a blur for him, only seeing  snatches of sights and sounds, of himself going through his ‘normal’ daily routines. Doctor Hopkins until the demon made him watch as he stepped into Sam’s room, a silent prisoner in his own head as he watched his own hands press a pillow to his unsuspecting victims face and finally waking up on the floor in the room of a patient who he had just tried to kill, fully anchorage of his body. The Doctor’s calm acceptance of the existence of Demons, somewhat surprised Dean, but then again, being possessed  was probably a sure-fire proof of the supernatural.

 

 To say that Doctor Hopkins was confused and distraught though, was an understatement.  
 The day he had become a Doctor he had sworn to protect his patients, to try to prevent them from seeing further harm. But the sight of his own hands holding that pillow over his young patient’s face.… 

  
Both hunters watched the blood drain from the Doctor’s face, both  having experience in the stages of shock and guilt that accompanied a person coming back from being unwillingly trapped inside their own body and made to watch as their jailor did unspeakable sins. Bobby straightened up from where he was crouched by the shell-shocked Doctor, saying that he was going to find the man a cup of something strong and alcoholic.  
  
“Listen, Doc, whatever that evil son of a bitch did when it was in control wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop it once it took over, so don't go blaming yourself for this-”

“Dean?”  
  
Dean’s ‘post-possessed victim support speech’ was interrupted by his name being spoken from a voice Dean hadn't heard  in weeks.  
  
And it had come from Sam.

  
  
********************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well who expected a Demon attack? I sure didn't! :P  
> What a surprise another cliff-hanger! :D 
> 
> Comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter! 
> 
> :)


	5. Chapter five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I swore I wasn't going to be one of those people to write a story, end a chapter on a cliff-hanger, and then not update for months...oops my bad! 
> 
> Enjoy :)

_Previously_  
  
_Both hunters watched the blood drain from the Doctor’s face, both having experience in the stages of shock and guilt that accompanied a person coming back from being unwillingly trapped inside their own body and made to watch as their jailor did unspeakable sins._  
  
_Bobby straightened up from where he was crouched by the shell-shocked Doctor, saying that he was going to find the man a cup of something strong and alcoholic._  
  
_“Listen, Doc, whatever that evil son of a bitch did when it was in control wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done to stop it once it took over, so don't go blaming yourself for this-”_  
_“Dean?”_  
_Dean’s ‘post-possessed victim support speech’ was interrupted by his name being spoken from a voice Dean hadn't heard in weeks._  
  
_And it had come from Sam._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
  
  
Dean’s head whipped round at break-neck speed and jumped up from his crouch beside the Doctor to get beside his brother’s prone form on the hospital bed.

  “Sammy?” Dean put his hand on his brother’s forehead, brushing some some of the stray hairs that had been moved across his eyes when the Demon had tried to smother him.  

Sam’s eyes were open, moving aimlessly around the room. Just by watching him, Dean could tell that Sam wasn't really seeing anything as his eyes remained glassy and unfocussed. To Dean’s dismay there wasn't even a spark of recognition in them as they moved right past where Dean was standing, before they closed again.

In the meantime, Doctor Hopkin’s had managed to compose himself after his ‘post-possession melt-down’, as he got up off of the floor and went to Dean’s side.    
  
“Doc, he said my name! His eyes were open! Does that…is Sammy gonna be ok?” Doctor Hopkins smiled at the younger man, the man who had helped to save his life.  
  
 “Dean, this is a good sign! I think the….Demon’s attempt to…kill Sam has somehow...shifted Sam's level of consciousness” Dean opened his mouth to interrupt the Doctor, but he simply held a hand up and continued  
“-Now I cant be certain yet, but Sam may be in a state known as a minimally conscious state. You can help me to gauge his state of consciousness, having someone who he's familiar with should give him a greater incentive to try and respond if he's able to. So firstly, I'm going to pinch his hand to see whether he is still responsive to painful stimuli”  
The Doctor took hold of Sam’s hand that rested on the bed and gave the back of it a hard pinch. To Dean’s surprise, a small gasp was released from Sam as his arms and legs twitched slightly in response to the hard pinch.  
  
 “Excellent! Sam’s response to pain stimuli is still present! I was worried that his ordeal with that…Demon might have set him back a bit! Now Dean, I want to test Sam’s response to gentle physical stimulus, so if you take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze…”  
 Dean nodded, taking his hand away from his brothers forehead and gently taking his hand instead. He stared intently at Sam’s face and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, looking for any sign that Sam had felt it, but there was no reaction from Sam. Doctor Hopkins nodded and made a note on the chart he had retrieved from the end of Sam’s bed.  
 “Ok, so he's not yet responsive to gentle physical stimuli, but that's no cause for worry just yet, give it time and I’m confident it will improve! So let’s move onto his auditory response, I want you to let go of his hand and I want you to say his name- or a nickname- to see whether he responds to a familiar voice calling his name. ”   Dean nodded, placing his brother’s hand back neatly by his side.  
  
 “Sam?”  
No response   
  
Sammy?"  
 There was a twitch of his hand.  
Dean looked up at the Doctor, who smiled and nodded, prompting him to say his brother’s name again.  
  
 “Sammy!”  
Sam’s hand moved slightly off of the bedsheets and Dean could see movement behind his eyelids.  
  
 “Ask him whether he can open his eyes now.” Doctor Hopkins prompted, whispering now so as not to confuse Sam, who it seemed could hear and respond somewhat to his older brother’s voice.    
  
“Sammy, can you open your eyes?” a few seconds of eye movement behind his lids and Sam’s eyelids began to flutter.   
  
“That’s it Sammy, open your eyes for me, Buddy!” Dean encouraged, no longer looking for Doctor Hopkin’s approval, his goal now was to see the eyes of his younger brother open and looking at him.  
Sam’s eyes continued his eyelids fluttering , his head rolled slightly to the side and a grunt passed through his lips.  
  
So Dean decided to try a different tactic with his stubborn-headed brother.    
  
“I know you can open those eyes, you lazy Sasquatch! Time to wake up Bitch!”  
  
 At that, Doctor Hopkin’s gave Dean a frown, just about to reprimand the young man’s bedside manner when, miraculously-   
  
“….J’rk….”  
  
 Both the Doctor and Dean looked down to see that the voice had indeed come from Sam and his eyes were open.  
  
 “ ‘Bout time you woke up, Little Brother!” Dean smiled, leaning down over his brother to look into his eyes, which, to his slight disappointment, remained glassy and unfocussed as they made a vague circuit of the room.  
  
 “Sam, can you look at your brother? Sam? Look towards your brother.” Doctor Hopkins prompted, moving on with his assessment of his patient. Sam however, seemed to take no notice of the Doctor   
  
“D’n?” Sam, slurred, his eyes still roaming aimlessly around the room, not fixing or focussing on anything in particular.  
  
 “ _D’n…”_ he repeated again, this time his voice was inflected with a whine.   
  
“Sammy?” Dean prompted, cupping his hand along his brother’s jaw, rubbing his thumb across his brother’s cheek in a soothing manner.  
  
 “I’m right here, Little Bro, I’m right here.”  
 Sam’s eyes rolled to the side of the bed that Dean and the Doctor were stood on and for the briefest moment, Dean could have sworn that his brother’s eyes had focussed on him, before unfocusing and passing him by.    
  
At that moment, the door to Sam’s room opened to reveal Bobby, carrying a tray of cafeteria food, with a miniature bottle of whisky on it.  
  
  “Who’d’ve thought it would be so damn difficult to find a bottle o’booze in this place.” he grouched as he closed the door. Turning round he took in the sight in front of his- including Sam with his eyes open.  
  
 “I’m gone 20 minutes _tops_ and Sam decides to make an appearance! Just my Luck!”  
  
*********************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay no cliff-hanger! Poor Sammy looks like he might be on the mend! yay! (or is he?! muhaha)
> 
> If you're enjoying this story please comment and let me know! They're like the Sam and Dean hugs we rarely get to see any more! :D


	6. Chapter six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Another chapter? So soon after the last one! :o   
> A big thank you again for all the kudos, I'm glad you're all liking it!
> 
> I tried a slightly different style of writing with this chapter, plus its the longest chapter yet!- let me know what you think about it!
> 
> Enjoy!

The following weeks that proceeded the surprise Demon attack seemed to fly by for Dean. After Doctor Hopkins’ preliminary test of Sam’s responsiveness, he had been quick to call for further, more detailed tests on Sam to confirm his diagnosis of a Minimally Conscious State. After it had been confirmed, he pulled Dean and Bobby aside and told them: that while it was good that Sam’s responsiveness had improved and he was no longer classed as being in a persistent vegetative state, that the two men had to be prepared for the fact that Sam might not recover fully and be like how he was before the accident. He quickly went on to say that he had seen patients emerge fully from a minimally conscious state, left with barely any effects, but everyone is different and he wanted the two men to be prepared for the possibility that Sam’s recovery may take a while and even so, he might reach a point where his improvement stops, before he is ‘back to full health’.   
  
Doctor Hopkins gave Dean and Bobby information about a Long-term care facility in the area that specialised in Coma, vegetative and minimally conscious patients, as the Doctor said that these would be more beneficial for Sam’s recovery than staying long term in the hospital he was currently situated in. With this in mind, both Dean and Bobby scouted the facility out, checking the nursing staff out for anything hinky, supernatural or otherwise (you could never be too careful!).   
  
Everything checked out, and Bobby’s insurance cover for Sam got the green-light. Soon, Dean found himself shaking hands and thanking Doctor Hopkins and Nurse Yasmin and before Dean knew it, Sam was  leaving the hospital to be transported to ‘Peaceful Pines Long-term Care Facility’.  
  
**********************************  
  
Most of  the patients of Peaceful Pines were long-term, more often than not permanent, residents. For their comfort, each resident had their own private room, and Sam was no exception. That was were Dean found himself spending almost all of his time nowadays, almost a month and a half after the Car accident. Sam had been living at Peaceful Pines for nearly two weeks and the staff had encouraged Dean and Bobby to bring in any items that they could decorate Sam’s room with to make him feel ‘more at home’. Of course, a life on the road meant that the sentimental possessions that Sam and Dean held onto were few and far between, luckily for them, this was where Bobby’s deeply hidden sentimentality came through when he produced half a dozen pictures of the boys from throughout the year when they stayed with the gruff-hunter.  
   
“Didn’t know you carried these round with ya’ Bobby!” Dean teased, earning him a smack upside the head.  
  
Dean could tell that the staff at Peaceful Pines tired to emulate a ‘home-ly’ feel in the care home, In Sam’s room there was a couch that could be unfolded into a bed- one that Dean had taken much advantage of- a television, a small dining table and chairs and a well furnished bathroom. But however hard the staff tried, it was unmistakeable that the room was just a step down from a hospital setting. Not only did Sam have a bed on wheels, much like the one he was in in the hospital, but the cupboards in his room were filled with medical supplies such as replacement IV sets (as Sam was permanently hooked up to for Nutrition and hydration), spare catheters (another thing he permanently needed) The bathroom was also fitted with support handles and had a modified bath so that if, in the future, Sam had mobility issues, he could use it with some assistance. The care facility also had in-house physical therapy rooms and a team of therapists, with each therapist caring for only 2 or 3 patients so that they could keep a closer track of each patient’s condition.  
  
Holly was currently assigned to Sam’s therapy sessions, and while Dean didn't like the fact that he was unsure of what to do to help his brother, he was glad at least that he was able to participate in the therapy sessions.  
  
Like today, his job was to encourage Sam to try and focus on a hand-held torch that flashed coloured lights.  
  
“Come on Sammy, look at these awesome lights!”   
Holly smiled and nodded, pleased with Dean’s demeanour with his younger brother. She had told him during Sam’s first therapy session that he would need to remain upbeat and encouraging when talking to Sam, and at first she thought this might be an issue for the older sibling- he had been nothing but stoic and  seemingly uncaring when she had first met him- but her opinion of Dean changed as soon as she saw him interact with his younger brother. He was a model student when she asked him to assist with their first therapy session and Holly found herself leaving the session with a smile on her face.   
  
She couldn't have been more wrong with her first impression with Dean, in fact, Dean seemed to be going slightly overboard with the amount he was trying to do for his brother. Holly knew that the boys and their Uncle Bobby were from out of town and since Sam had been admitted to Peaceful Pines, Dean and Bobby had found an apartment to rent close to the care facility. However, Dean spent nearly all his time at the care facility keeping an eye on Sam, choosing to sleep on the fold-out bed in Sam’s room rather than going home to sleep in a, probably far more comfortable, actual bed. Whilst Holly commended Dean’s loyalty to his fallen brother, she knew from first-hand experience what would happen if Dean continued with his constant bedside vigil- she just needed to find the right way to break it to Dean…  
  
Whilst Holly had been pondering how best to break her concerns to Dean, Sam, who had just previously been lying with his eyes open but vacant, had managed  notice the flashing lights Dean was holding, and his attention seemed to stay occupied on the lights.   
  
“That’s good Sam! Well Done!” Holly praised, “Now Dean, I want you to slowly move the touch to the left, let’s see if he follows it!”   
As Dean slowly moved the flashing torch to the left, after a short delay, Sam’s eyes moved to the torch’s new position.  
  
“Good job Sammy!” Dean cheered on his brother’s progress, gaining a slack smile from Sam. He always reacted well to his brother’s praise. When Dean moved the torch again, Sam’s eyes began to follow, however, Sam seemed to lose interest in the torch, as his eyes lost focus and drifted shut again.   
  
Holly noticed that, as soon as his brother’s eyes closed, the smile dropped off of Dean’s face to reveal a very weary disappointment as he switched off the flashing torch.  
  
“Dean, I know it’s hard to see your brother like this, but he’s been improving so much!” Holly consoled, as she finished writing her notes on how the therapy session had gone.   
Dean sighed, carding a hand through his greasy hair- Holly had no doubt he hadn't left Sam’s side long enough to even have a proper shower.  
  
“I know, I know he's improved…hell I mean he was classed as a vegetable less than a month ago…its just….hard…before the accident, my brother was the smartest guy I knew, hell he went to Stanford! And just…seeing him like this…not even knowing what’s going on around him…just…its Killin’ me…” With that, Dean’s head fell into his hands, not before Holly saw the trace of a tear about to fall from his eye.  
  
“Dean, I’m so sorry about what has happened to you and Sam, but I’ve got to be honest with you here. Like I said, Sam is doing tremendously well here…but it could take years for him to improve. And I know you only have Sam’s best interests at heart, but you're barely eating, barely sleeping- cause I damn well know that couch ain’t comfortable- you're not even showering! Dean, you're gonna’ run yourself into the ground if you don't start looking after yourself and, even though i didn't  know Sam before the accident, I know for a fact that he would hate that you’re not looking after yourself!”  
  
Throughout her speech, Dean’s head had remained in his hands, but when she’d finished, he raised his head, his eyes shining with tears.  
“Yeah, Sammy’d kick my ass!” he said with a wet chuckle.   
Holly smiled,  
 “So, you gonna’ start taking better care of yourself, or do I have to be the one to kick your ass until your brother can?”  
  
“I’ll try.”  
  
For today, Holly would take that as a win.  
  
*************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've actually got an idea of where I want to go with this story now, but I'd love to hear what you'd like to see happen!
> 
> Please leave a comment on what you thought of this chapter- what you liked, what you think I could improve- cause I really appreciate hearing what you guys think!


	7. Chapter seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I want to thank everyone who has given kudos, commented, bookmarked and subscribed to this story so far- you guys are awesome! :D 
> 
> Enjoy this next chapter
> 
> :)

Dean followed Holly’s advice of not being at Sam’s bedside 24/7. At first Dean could only be persuaded to leave Sam’s side overnight, he didn't want to miss any of Sam’s rehab sessions, but agreed that maybe he would be more help if he slept in his and Bobby’s apartment in a proper bed. This arrangement seemed to work fine for a few weeks, and both Dean and Bobby were thrilled to see that Sam was thriving with the daily rehab and enrichment he received.  
  
In fact, Sam was improving in leaps and bounds and Holly was overjoyed with the improvement, but she had concerns about Dean and Uncle that needed addressing:  
  
“Now we can all see that Sam is progressing very well here, and I can be sure that its partly due to both of your dedication to Sam’s recovery! ” Holly enthused to the two men during Sam’s ‘one month progress’ meeting.  
“ And whilst I’m glad that both of you, particularly you Dean, are so involved with Sam’s recovery….and please tell me to mind my own business if you want…but I can’t help worrying over your finances. Mr Singer, I know your medical insurance covers Sam’s residence and care fees, I’m just concerned about your own living costs. I’ve seen many families prioritise their loved ones care, and they end up in terrible debt and end up being unable to afford to keep their loved ones at care facilities. I don't want to see that happen to your family, not when Sam has improved so much in such a short space of time!”   
  
Both Dean and Bobby left the meeting with a lot to discuss. Bobby confessed, that whilst he had intended  for the two of them to rent the apartment be close to Sam, he had been receiving multiple calls from a newbie-hunter who was struggling with a case up in Washington, and, whilst Bobby could use the internet and the local library, nothing could beat his private ‘Supernatural Library’ back at the salvage-yard. But said that Sam’s recovery had been keeping him away from going back home to help.  
  
“Awe, Bobby why didn't you say anything?!” Dean reprimanded the hunter who he considered a father-figure.  
“Like I said, someone had to look after your Idjit ass and make sure you didn't run yourself into an early grave!”   
  
With some discussing, both Dean and Bobby came to the decision that Bobby should go back to Sioux Falls to, retake up his role of helping struggling hunters, whilst Dean would  remain with Sam. Before Bobby left however, he made sure to hold on until  Dean managed to get a job at a local grocery store, to cover the rent of the apartment that he would solely be occupying.   
After speaking to the store owner and explaining his and Sam’s situation, he was able to work the early morning shifts on Thursdays and Fridays and the evening shifts on Saturdays and  Sundays, giving him plenty of time to be with Sam for his rehab sessions during the week.   
  
**************  
  
One Monday, after Bobby had moved back to Sioux Falls, and Dean had been working at the grocery store for two weeks, the elder Winchester sat with Sam, once again helping with his rehab. In the month and a half that Sam had been at Peaceful Pines, he had improved in leaps and bounds. Through the daily rehab and enrichment, Sam’s ability to remain ‘awake’ had improved, leaving him with longer time-periods where he was aware and able to focus on Dean and Holly. Along with his improved time periods of consciousness, Sam was beginning to be able to respond to his environment, with increasing vocalisations, expressions and movement.   
Today’s rehab session was to practice Sam’s speech and his ability to respond to questions and commands.  
Holly always started with the same question:  
  
“Can you tell me your name?”  
“S’mmy…” that earned a chuckle out of Dean, it was a change for Sam to use his childhood nickname.  
  
“Well Done Sam!”  
  
“Sam, can you tell me your brother’s name?”  
“D’n” Sam, slurred a small smile on his face.  
“That’s right Sam! Good job!” the praise earned another smile from Sam and a happy cooing sound.  
  
“Can you tell me your dad’s name?"  
“…D’n…?”   
  
Well, technically, Dean _had_ raised Sam.  
  
“Not quite Sam, try again! What’s your dad’s name?” Holly’s voice remained encouraging.  
“D’n!” Sam huffed out, seeming frustrated, he swung his arm out, uncoordinatedly searching out for his brother’s hand, as  he unconsciously seeked out comfort from his older brother. To which Dean gently took his  hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  
  
“No stressing Little Bro. You're doing great! I’m here, not going anywhere!” he soothed, stroking his thumb across the back of Sam’s hand.  
  
“No problem, Sam. No need to worry! Let’s move to the next question: Where’s Home, Sam?”   
  
God, where _wasn't_ home? Dean thought to himself, curious to see where Sam would class as his ‘home’.

“ Baby…’” a big smile formed on Sam’s lips.  
“ Baby? What do you mean Sam?” Holly asked, confused.  
  
A small grunt of frustration fell through Sam’s lips as he frowned, not liking the lack of praise he was used to after answering a question.  
“‘…’Pala…D’n! ‘Pala..”  he whined  and a laugh escaped from Dean, as he twigged what Sam was trying to say: he called the Impala- his baby- his home.  
“Good job buddy! Baby misses you bitchin’ in the passenger seat!” he aggravated, giving his brother’s cheek a small pat.   
He looked up at the still confused Holly.  
“ He means our ’67  Chevy Impala. Me and Sammy grew up on the road, our dad had to move around for work, so we practically lived in that car…so I’m not surprised he thinks its ‘home’, ‘cause he’s never really had a long-term home, except when we got to stay at Bobby’s for a few weeks or a month.”  
Dean hadn't meant it to try and gain Holly’s sympathy, but as Holly’s eyes welled up slightly, he realised what a shitty home situation he and Sam had had. After all Dean had four blissful years to know what a real ‘home’ was, but Sam had never had that experience…and it fucking sucked!  
  
“B’bby?” Sam asked, his head swivelling round, looking for his surrogate father-figure, as he picked up the name from his brother’s explanation to Holly.  
“Aww Sorry, buddy, Bobby’s back in Sioux Falls…he’s still rootin’ for you though!”  
“B’bby? Wh’re?”   
“He’s not here Sammy, he's at the Salvage yard.”  
“BOBBY! WH’RE… B’BBY!” Sam screamed, ripping his arm from Dean’s grip, hitting Dean in the face in the process.  
“Hey hey hey! Sammy! Calm down, Sammy!” Dean jumped from his seat, grabbing Sam’s flailing arm.   
  
Holly had also jumped from her bedside position and quickly went over to one of the locked cupboards, retrieving a syringe of medication, before she went back over to Sam, who was still struggling against Dean.  
“Shh shh, Sam, its ok, it’s ok, Sam!” she soothed, before looking to Dean “Dean, I need you to hold his hand still, I’m going to administer a small dose of anti-anxiety medication to help him calm down.” Dean nodded, gripping his struggling brother’s hand, so Holly could push the syringe of medication into Sam’s IV port.  
  
It only took a minute, before Sam’s struggles lessened, instead his whines and whimpers of sadness filled the room as his eyes glazed over before they rolled to look at Dean, tears streaming down his cheeks, before they closed.  
“I’m so sorry, Sammy…” Dean stroked a hand through his brother’s hair, as his brother’s breathing settled down into drug-aided sleep. He hadn't noticed his nose had started bleeding from when Sam had hit him, until Holly pressed a tissue into his hand, pointing at his nose.  
“Don’t be at yourself up about this Dean, it’s quite common for patients to become combative at times. I mean, it’s no wonder, I reckon it must be confusing and frustrating for him.” She sympathised, giving Dean a quick pat on the shoulder, before turning her attention to Sam to check non of Sam’s IV ports or feeding tube had been dislodged.  
  
Dean sighed, pressing the tissue to his bleeding nose. His other hand moved from Sam’s hair to cup his jaw.  
“I’m gonna take care of you, Little Brother, whatever it takes!”  
  
*************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww no poor boys :(
> 
> Let me know what you think of this chapter :)


	8. Chapter eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this chapter in celebration of the fact that this story as reached over 1000 views today! and I've reached a total of 100 kudos for both Fics I've got on this account! That might not seem like a lot to some people, but to me it's AWESOME! I can't thank you guys enough for actually taking the time to read, kudos, comment and subscribe to something that little old me wrote :D  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, IMO this is where the story is starting to get really good :D 
> 
> enjoy :)

For once in their lives, the Winchester boys found themselves with daily routines. it had been two weeks since Sam’s temper tantrum and with his daily rehab sessions and was steadily improving. His sleep patterns and awareness had improved dramatically, so much so that the number of rehab sessions he had could be increased, due to the fact he was able to do more. Sam now worked on his speech therapy more and had even started basic physical therapy sessions with a trainer named Josh to get his weakened muscles slowly back into shape.

Because the improvement in his recovery, Dean was able to take on more shifts at the grocery store. Although he felt guilty for not being there for Sam as much, he conceded that he needed the extra money in order to prepare the apartment with any specialist equipment that  Sam might need when he was eventually released from Peaceful Pines.  
  
Having just finished a shift at the grocery store, Dean was out of breath when he entered Sam’s room in the middle of the therapy session with Charlotte, a trainee therapy nurse who was filling in for Holly. Dean could see that today’s therapy session was working on Sam’s motor and dexterity skills in his hands and fingers, he was sat in a wheelchair at the little table in the room, in front of a puzzle where you had to push different shaped blocks into the corresponding shaped hole. Sam was in the process of slowly pushing the circle-shaped block into the hole, when he looked up and saw Dean stood in the doorway, his face broke into a big lopsided grin.  
  
“D’n!”  
“Heya Sammy! How’re you doing today, Bud?” Dean greeted his smiling brother as he came to sit at his brother’s side.  
  
“M’doin’ sh-sha…pes..D’n”  with his therapy sessions Sam had begun to be able to communicate more, but his speech was still hit and miss. Undeterred, he clumsily picked up another block to show his brother what he was trying to tell him.  
  
“You’re doing shapes Sammy? Good job little bro!”  
he patted his little brother’s hand and turned his attention to Charlotte.  
  
 “No Holly today?”  
Charlotte sighed “It was supposed to be, but she hasn't turned up for her shift today. I don't get whats going on with her lately! I shouldn’t really be telling you this, but she split up with her boyfriend a few weeks ago, so maybe it has something to do with why she's been skipping shifts recently?”  
  
Their speculation was interrupted when Sam, who had been trying to pick up the triangular block with shaky hands, dropped it on the table with a frustrated grunt.  
  
“Not to worry Sam, try to pick up the triangle again!” Charlotte prompted, pointing to the dropped shape.  
  
“Don’ want to” Sam grunted, pushing the shapes away from him.  
“M’ th-thirssty!”  
  
“Just try one more for me Sam? Then we can finish up with the therapy for today and we can get you a drink?”  
  
“NO! M’THIRSTY!” his arm swung out throwing all of the shapes and their box off of the table, and he clumsily smacked Charlotte’s consoling hands away.  
  
“Sammy! There’s no need to hit Charlotte, she's only trying to help buddy!” Dean scolded as he attempted to sooth his brother, by putting his hands on either side of his brother’s face. Next thing he knew, he felt a shove to his chest, which caused him to fall off his chair with the force and surprise of the shove.  
  
“NO!” Sam shouted in frustration as he started to try and push himself up out of his wheelchair, but he didn't have the strength.  
  
Charlotte had stood to push the call button in Sam’s room for assistance, but before she could, the door to Sam’s room opened and Holly walked in.  
“Hey Sammy, how’s- oh dear what’s the matter Sam?” she walked straight over to Sam and gently placed her hand on his head,  Sam calmed his struggling at the touch, as he looked up at Holly.  
  
“I..I thirsssty!” he whined, bringing out the puppy-dog eyes.  
  
Holly smiled down at  Sam, petting her hand through his hair,  
“Aww Sweetheart, it’s Ok!  Just give me a minute and I’ll get you something to drink!” she soothed, ruffling his hair, before she looked up at Charlotte and Dean.  
  
“Ive got a handle of this now Charlotte, if you could please escort Dean from the room whilst I get Sam something to drink and check him over to make sure he hasn't injured himself.”  
  
“I can stay right here! He’s my brother!” argued Dean, as he stood up from where he had fallen. After these past few months of Sam’s recovery, all modicums of modesty and privacy had been lost in favour of helping his brother’s recovery.  
  
“Truthfully, I’d rather give him his check up with out you here Dean. Seeing as you were on the floor when I came in, I think your presence will only serve to agitate Sam further. I think it would be best for you to leave the facility for a while Dean, give you both time to calm down a bit. Charlotte, if you would do as I asked..”  
With that she turned to Sam again and ran her fingers through his hair as he had begun to become agitated again.  
  
Dean’s mouth fell open at his clear dismissal from the room, and followed Charlotte out of the room, the door shutting behind them.  
  
“What was that all about?” Dean asked rhetorically, but he still received a perplexed shrug from Charlotte.  
  
“Sorry Dean, but I've gotta go let my supervisor know about Sam’s…outburst so he can put it in my training log…I’ll try and check on Sam later.”   
  
She left Dean to wander to the entrance of the facility alone, where he sat down on a bench in the small garden area of the facility, trying to come to terms with what had just happened. That was the second time (that Dean had seen) that Sam had lashed out, and ended up lashing out at _him_ , and Dean didn't even know whether it had just been accidents that Sam had ended up hitting and shoving him, or whether he really meant to. Deep down, his Big Brother instincts were mourning the fact that Holly had been the one to calm Sam down, and not _him_.  
  
Dean didn't know how long he sat on the bench stewing in his thoughts,but he was brought out of them when Charlotte tapped him on the shoulder and Dean looked up at her.  
  
“I thought you’d still be here.” she said with a small smile  
 “Holly has finished her check up with Sam, and he's calmed down a lot now. You can go and see him if you like?”  
Dean nodded and thanked her before he walked back to Sam’s room.  
  
When he reached it, he went to sit beside his brother, who was now back in his bed his cheeks flushed and his eyes  slightly glazed over and a smudge of blood on the side of his mouth, which Dean went to wipe away with the edge of his flannel shirt

“He bit his tongue when he was getting combative. I gave Sam a little something to calm him down, no use in him getting unnecessarily agitated and putting back his recovery.” Holly’s voice came from the doorway and Dean watched as she entered  the room and stood on the opposite side of Sam’s bed so she could face Dean.  
  
“Hollllyy…more?” Sam slurred when he saw Holly, his head turning towards her, earning him a small smile from the carer.  
“Not just yet Sam, you've had enough of the good stuff for now, Sugar.”  
Dean did his best to hide a frown as Holly ran her hand through Sam’s hair again-that was supposed to be _him_ soothing his brother!  
  
 Sam’s eyes fluttered shut as he fell into sleep, no doubt aided by whatever drug Holly had given him.  
  
“Dean I’m glad you came back here actually. I think it would be best if you didn't come visit Sam as frequently anymore, until he's recovered more-Please let me finish Dean!” she snapped out as Dean opened his mouth in protest.  
  
“As Sam’s primary carer here at the facility, I only have Sam’s best interests here. I have noticed that  Sam has become agitated and is increasingly combative when you are around during his therapy sessions. I have come to the conclusion that it is in his best interests for his recovery that you take a break from visiting him for a time. This is not up for debate Dean, I take my patients recoveries seriously, so I have put a note in Sam’s file that you will only be permitted to visit Sam until I believe he is emotionally stable enough to have visitors. We will ring you with updates on Sam’s recovery and  when you are permitted to visit Sam again. Now Sam’s had a long and stressful few hours and I think it would be best if you ended your visit for the day. I think it would be best not  not to wake him up  now that he's resting and risk agitating him further. I’ll escort you to the front desk so you can sign out.”  
  
Dean blinked at Holly, too in shock to be able to protest, as Holly led him to the entrance of Peaceful Pines, and soon found himself in the Impala, he hadn't even had chance to say goodbye to Sam.  
  
Was Holly right? Was he really affecting his brother’s recovery?

*******************************  
  
Meanwhile, back in Peaceful Pines, Holly was sat at Sam’s bedside, stroking her hand through his long hair as she looked down at him through pitch black eyes. She moved her hand away from Sam’s head, using her fingernail to slice her other wrist until it began to weep blood. She placed her bleeding wrist up to Sam’s mouth, the young hunter stirred from sleep at the taste,he looked up at her and gave her a docile smile as he began to suckle gently at her wrist. She smiled to herself, yes, her plan was coming together just nicely.  
  
*****************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN! NO HOLLY WHY????? PLOT TWIST :D
> 
> what do you think Holly is up to??? Will Dean figure it out in time to save poor Sammy?? Tune in next time!
> 
> (Comments and kudos inspire me to write quicker FYI ;P)


	9. chapter nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellloo! :) I've got another update for you guys, didn't think i'd get it out today but I finished work with enough energy to post another chapter! woo! Don't think theres going to be many chapters left after this...maybe another 2/3? 
> 
> Once again thank you to everyone who has read, given kudos, commented bookmarked and subscribed to this so far...really you guys are awesome-sauce! 
> 
> Enjoy :)

It had been 2 weeks since Holly had told Dean that he wasn't allowed to visit Sam at Peaceful Pines, and he still hadn't had any calls about how he was doing. He had tried calling the care home _himself,_ but every time he did, the snotty sounding receptionist said that Sam’s current information was  “unavailable” and to “try again later”. In his frustration, Dean called Bobby and told him what was going on.  
  
“Well Son, I know you want me to tell you to go storm the place to see Sam, but I want you to think about it Dean. It’s their job to care for people in Sam’s condition, and like Holly told ya’ they're  doing all they can to help Sam recover. I know you don't like it, but Holly seems like she really cares about Sam, so I reckon she’ll be doing her best for him, you just gotta let her do her job…”  
  
Bobby sympathised with Dean, he really did. He knew that nothing good ever came from separating those two boys, and he knew it must be especially hard on Dean after seeing his brother on the brink of death. Then thinking his brother would never wake up. Even now that Sam had a chance of a meaningful recovery, Dean’s hopes were dashed again as he was stopped from seeing his brother.  
  
Bobby sighed, still on the phone with Dean he ran a hand over his face in frustration as he tried to think of a solution.  
  
“ ‘kay son, how about _I_ try ringing to find out how Sam’s doin’? They might be more willing to give me some info, since from the sounds of it you ain’t been playing friendly with the receptionist, am I right?”  
Dean reluctantly  agreed with Bobby, who gave a small smile in relief of somewhat getting through to that stubborn SOB .  
  
“Well now that I don't have to drive all the way back to Florida to stop you doing something stupid- like breaking Sam outta there- get off the line so I can call the facility myself!” and with a small chuckle, Dean hung up the phone, leaving Bobby to call Peaceful Pines for himself.  
  
**************************************************  
  
20 minutes later and Bobby called Dean back.  
  
“Whats going on with Sam, Bobby?”  
“Hello to you too! Don't get your panties in a bunch I’ll tell you what I got. I talked to the receptionist and she told me that Sam is still improving, his mood swings have decreased and his motor and speech are improving too!”  
  
 Instead of the pleased reaction that Bobby expected from Dean he received an exasperated:  
  
“Well why the hell didn't they just _tell me_ that?!”  
  
“Funny you should say that ‘cause when I mentioned to the receptionist that you’d been calling for information about Sam, she told me they had no records of you trying to contact them.”  
  
“What the fu- why don't they have records? I rang that damn receptionist _everyday_ for a _week!_ Theres no way in hell that they don't have records of me calling! Something bad’s going on there Bobby I just fucking know it!”  
  
Bobby could tell Dean was gearing up for a cuss-filled rant if he didn't try to nip it in the bud.  
  
“Don’t shoot the messenger ya’ Idjit! I’m only tellin’ you what they told me! Look Dean, don't go thinking up some wild conspiracy theory about that place, we scoped the place out and it was supernatural free! Now I want you to take the night off, go to a bar, blow off some steam just do whatever to take your mind off Peaceful Pines for the night! If your spidey senses are still tingling in the mornin’ you can deal with it then! Now scram ya’ Idjit!” and with a satisfying ‘click’ Bobby put the phone down.

Dean blinked in surprise at the abrupt end to the conversation with his surrogate father figure as he looked down at his watch which showed it was just after 5pm. ‘ _Too early to start drinking?’_ Dean briefly asked himself… _’ah fuck it’_ he dismissed as he cracked open his flask of Jack Daniels.

 

******************************************

 

Maybe it _had_ been to early to start drinking, Dean mused to himself as he slowly came back to the land of the living with a pounding head and ringing in his ears.  
After polishing off his stash of JD, he had decided that he hadn't nearly had enough to drink and went to the local bar where he had apparently decided to consume his own body weight in tequila, not his most brilliant of ideas.  Most of his memories from the previous night were covered in a drink-fueled haze, Dean vaguely remembered chatting up a smokin’ hot blonde at the bar and being led outside to the nearby alleyway to get some (much needed) relief from the drink-fuelled lust that had overtaken him.  
  
 After that his memories become even more indistinct, so much so that he barely remembers making it back to the apartment, but, as he blearily takes in the state of his room, two sets of  clothes abandoned in a trail on the floor leading from the door to the bed and judging by the state of the sheets of his bed, he didn't come home alone. His suspicions were confirmed when the bedroom door opened to reveal the blonde he’d picked up at the bar. Upon seeing him awake she smiled and hopped back into bed beside him.  
“So he lives! I was beginning to think you’d croaked from alcohol overdose, either that or you couldn't keep up with our little activities last night.” she practically purred as she curled herself around Dean, her fingers scratching lightly down his upper arms.  
  
Dean groaned as he tried to sit up, but found his vision beginning to spin even more at his attempts. Giving up he flopped back into the pillows with a loud groan, he berated himself for getting into such a state-it’d been a long time since he’d drank himself into a state like he was now. He cursed the persistent ringing in his head…until it suddenly stopped and he realised it wasn't just his ears ringing, it was his phone. A minute later his phone ‘pinged’ indicating he had been left a voicemail.  
  
“It’s m’phone, gotta check it out..” he slurred, and with what seemed like a herculean effort, Dean managed to disentangle himself from the woman and  get up from the comfort of his bed to stumbled on wobbly legs over to his trail of clothes on the floor, where he guessed his phone was still in one of the pockets of his jeans. He was in luck as he found it in the pocket. He managed to  unlock the phone with his sunlight sensitive eyes barely open, to find both a missed call and voicemail from an unknown number. Curious he dialled his voicemail and brought the phone to his ear as he remained crouched by his jeans, not prepared to hear who the message was from.  
  
_“D’n…it’sss Sam….this’s Charlottesss ph’ne. Need h’lp D’n! ….demonsss here….d’mon blood…Holly she…. No! Pl’se No! D’N!!-“_  
_There was the sound of a scuffle and a clatter as, presumably, the phone was dropped and a click as the line went dead….._  
  
Dean’s vision began to spin even more as his precarious balance gave out and he landed on his ass on the floor. Sam had called. He was in trouble. Something to do with Demons. He knew something hinky was going on, but he hated that his brother had to be in danger to prove him right. He needed to get to Peaceful Pines now! He jumped to his feet, bringing his jeans up with him as he stumbled around the room, collecting his clothes from the previous night and pulling them on in a rush.  
  
“What’s the matter Honey? Come back to bed and we can talk about it!” he jumped, not realising his one night stand had come up behind him as she wrapped one arm around his waist.  
  
“Listen sweetheart, I’d love nothing more, but my brother just called- he's in trouble so I gotta go!” he dismissed her going to take her arm from around his waist.  
  
He never expected to hear a chuckle coming from the woman he just let down.  
  
“Oh Honey you ain’t going anywhere…” before he could do anything, her other arm came up to his neck and he felt a pinching sting of a syringe being pushed into his exposed neck. He managed to get himself out of the woman’s grip, only to see black eyes staring mockingly back at him.  
  
The world started to get more hazy, his vision beginning to tunnel as he made a slow descent to the floor. Before his vision dimmed completely, he saw the blonde demon kneel down in front of him, smirking.  
  
“Sweet dreams Dean-o.”  
  
And with that Dean’s vision went dark, as he descended into oblivion.  
  
**************************************************** 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> really?! Another cliff-hanger?! :D  
> I may have taken out my own post-christmas party tequila hangover out on Dean, let me tell you tequila is NOT my friend :'( 
> 
> Anyway, I think this might be my last update before christmas/ New year as my work tends to get crazy busy at this time of year, but I'll try my best :) 
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter/ the story in general :)  
> Kudos and comments always appreciated :)


	10. chapter ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter, Real-life decided that it would be a good idea to pile as much emotional stress on me as it could over the last month, but hey-ho, at least I've got another chapter up!
> 
> I would just like to draw attention to the addition of some important tags, please, I don't think this chapter is too bad, but please if you are worried about triggers, please just give them a check!
> 
> Anyway, I reckon there might only be one more chapter left after this one and as always kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> :)

Dean didn't know how long he had been drifting in the dark oblivion, or even how he came to be drifting in the first place. All he knew was that it was a peaceful place with no worries or stress, Dean was sure that he had _something_ important he needed to do, something about _Sam_ but before he could dwell on it further, the waves of soothing blackness descended heavily again, washing away all thoughts and worries as Dean began to drift away.

******

An undetermined amount of time later, Dean felt himself resurface slightly from the deep depths of the darkness in his mind. A persistent noise banging through the smothering darkness that clung to him. He felt himself start to drift again, but a loud crash roused him more, curious as to what was, annoyingly, stopping him from sinking back to sleep. He tried to rouse himself enough to try and listen to what was going on around him, he could hear something breathing heavily in apparent exertion,  a indistinct grumbling and then a voice piped up in horror:  
“Son of a bitch, DEAN!”   
The voice sounded muffled as if he was hearing it from underwater, he vaguely listened to the brief sound of running footsteps and suddenly he felt a gentle set of fingers on his neck.  
“Oh, _thank God_ , you're alive!” a muttered voice exhaled in relief, there was a brief silence and then-  
  
SLAP.  
  
Pain bloomed across his cheek as, what he assumed in his muddled head, a palm of a hand slapped hard on the cheek. He gasped as his body jerked in shock, his eyes opening without his consent. He caught a blurry glimpse of non other than Bobby as he knelt over him.  
  
“Dean? You with me?” but before he could let his vision focus, or even contemplate answering Bobby, his eyes slid shut, unable to keep them open any longer.  
  
“Dammit, Dean open your eyes!” an insistent tapping began on his still stinging cheek, he groaned his displeasure at being kept awake when sleep was calling to him so invitingly, he was so close to falling back asleep!  
“ Leave me M’ so tired…” he sighed out, lifting his hand lazily to try and swat Bobby’s hands away.  
  
“Dean, you've got to stay awake!” Dean paused in his attempt to stop Bobby from keeping him awake. Bobby sounded worried. Bobby never sounded worried unless something _really_ bad had happened.  
Now that grabbed  Dean’s attention and his eyes opened again, but no matter how much concern over why Bobby sounded so distressed, his body just wasn't having any of it.  
  
“Wha’s wrong with me Bobby? I don’ feel righ’” he slurred, as he tried to keep his eyes open.  
“It’s ok Dean, you're alright, just gotta stay awake for me, you'll feel better in a minute.” Bobby reassured him. He quickly got up from his kneeled position on the floor next to where Dean was lying, and ran for his duffel bag which he had abandoned by the door to the bedroom. Finding his first aid kit, he went back to Dean’s side, only to see Dean’s face had slackened as sleep had once again over come him.  
  
“Dammit Dean!” he grouched as he retrieved the small packet of smelling salts from the first aid kit. Positioning it just under Dean’s nose, he cracked the pack of smelling salts open. The reaction was immediate as Dean took in a breath through his nose, the salts giving him a shock to the system as his eyes flew open and he gasped.  
  
“Welcome back Sleeping Beauty!” he jested as he helped Dean sit up, keeping a supporting hand on his shoulder while the younger man got his bearings and balance.  
Dean shook his head to try and clear the fuzziness that still lingered slightly over his thoughts.  
“Wha’ the hell happened Bobby?”   
  
Bobby gave Dean a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and grabbed his arm to pull Dean onto his feet after he had adjusted to sitting upright.  
“I don't know all the details, but I reckon you were drugged up to the gills!”   
  
“Yeah I can see that Bobby, I need to go wash my face or something-“ he gave the supporting hand that Bobby had on his arm a quick pat and made his way over to the adjoining bathroom on wobbly legs, grabbing onto the edge of the sink for support, as he switched on the faucet.  
   
“Well you better damn well put some pants on or somethin’, even if the ladies do appreciate the sight of your bow-legs, I certainly don’t!”   
Dean looked down at himself and finally noticed that he was clad only in a pair of underpants. with a jolt he remembered what happened before he woke up on the floor with Bobby hovering over him.  
“Son of a bitch! I _did_ get drugged…by some demonic bitch!”  
“What?! How in the hell did that happen?”  
  
Dean quickly splashed water over his face from the running faucet to try and clear the vestiges of fuzz still clinging to his thoughts.  
“I took your advice Bobby! I went out, had a few drinks…a few too many-“  
“Dean-“  
“Ok _way_ too many! Things got a little fuzzy, but judging by the hot chick I woke up with, I managed to hook up and I wake up and… _shit_ Sam! Where the hell is my phone?!” Dean lunged away from the sink when he remembered the panicked voicemail he received from Sam. Grabbing the cell phone from Bobby, who had picked it up off the bedroom floor, he clicked onto his voicemail:

“ _You have 1 new voicemail message, to listen to your messages, press 1….”_

_  
_ The new message was from Bobby, letting Dean know that he had driven from Sioux Falls.  
So there were no more voicemails from Sam, that could be good news…or not so good news….  
  
“…. _to listen to your previous messages, press 2….voicemail received today at 7:57am:  
“D’n…it’sss Sam….this’s Charlottesss ph’ne. Need h’lp D’n! ….demonsss here….d’mon blood…Holly she…. No! Pl’se No! D’N!!-“ “  
  
_ “Son of a bitch!” Bobby exclaimed, running a hand over his worn face, he _never_ thought he would ever hear Sam sound that frightened and vulnerable in his life. __  
Dean couldn't look Bobby in the eye as the sound of a scuffle could be heard over the speaker, instead he glanced down at his watch seeing that it was just after 11am, meaning that Dean had been unconscious for around 3 hours. Anything could have happened to Sam in that time! If it hadn't been for Bobby showing up when he did-

“Wait a second, Bobby. If you didn't know Sam was in trouble…then why are you here?”

“Boy, I think we got bigger things to deal with! Most importantly: _Sam!_ Now lets get down to that care centre and I’ll tell you on the way…but first…”  
Bobby grabbed a flask of Holy Water out of his duffel bag and splashed it on Dean’s face, before doing the same to himself.  
“Didn’t want to take any chances…” he smirked at Dean’s less than amused face. “Now let’s get goin’! I’ll drive!”  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Bobby glanced guiltily at Dean, who was sat in the passenger seat of the truck Bobby had driven in from Sioux Falls. He had been adamant that Dean was still to affected from the drugs he’d been injected with to drive and ignored Dean’s protests at having to ride shotgun.  
  
“So go on then Bobby, why did you drive all the way here? Seeing as you said I had, quote, ‘ _cooking up a wild conspiracy theory’,_ unquote.” Dean looked at Bobby with barely reined-in anger. Bobby didn't answer straight away, weighing up how best to approach this to avoid Dean flying off the handle in anger. He settled himself with a deep inhale, before exhaling a large breath in exhaustion.  
  
“Dammit, Dean I was worried ‘bout you ok? After I got off the phone with you, my own instincts wouldn't leave me the hell alone! The more I thought about the fact that they had no records of you tryin’ to check up on Sam, the more doubts I got. So, after a few hours of no sleep, I thought, _‘what the hell, I’m drivin’ to Florida’._ Took me a hell of a long time to drive here from Sioux Falls and when I did get here, I tried callin’ you, but no answer. So I went to the apartment, knocked on the door a few times, and that’s when I noticed the front doormat had been moved, and the devils trap was broken. So I kicked down the front door (sorry ‘bout that, by the way) and found you passed out in the middle of your bedroom floor!” 

Dean opened his mouth as if to retaliate or argue, but he shut his mouth again before he let his anger out at Bobby. After all, none of this was Bobby’s fault. No, the fault lay soley on Dean’s shoulders, if he hadn't have got so drunk, he wouldn't have missed when the _demon_ he brought back to the apartment broke the devils trap in front of his own front door. It was his fault that he let the demon slip and got himself drugged into unconsciousness, leaving Sam to deal with _whatever_ it was that had happened when he had left Dean that frantic message. Dean Winchester felt like a complete failure.

“M’sorry, Bobby” he apologised to his only remaining father-figure, to which he received a comforting squeeze on the shoulder which he took to mean apology accepted.

The two hunters spent the rest of the drive to Peaceful Pines in nervous silence, both lost in their own fears of what they might find when they got to the facility.

Bobby parked in a designated visitor bay and made their way into reception, where they were greeted by an empty desk, a sign declaring ‘ _Back in 5 minutes’._  
The two men surveyed the empty reception area, and then looking to one another, communicating silently that they wouldn't be waiting for the receptionist to return; before they both headed through the double set of doors that led to Sam’s room.

They managed to reach Sam’s room without being noticed as ‘unauthorised visitors’. The door to Sam’s room was closed, the view through the small  window on the door that allowed staff to look in on their patients was obscured by a curtain and a sign was hung on the door stating: 

_‘Do Not Enter; Therapy in progress’_  
  
Dean cocked an eyebrow at Bobby, both pulling their handguns out and aiming, as Dean grabbed the door-handle and slowly pushed the door ajar.   
They definitely didn't expect the sight that greeted them on the other side of the door:  
  
The sheets of Sam’s bed were messily hanging off of the bed.   
  
The table where Sam completed some of his therapy sessions was turned over on its side, the chairs lay scattered across the room.  
  
Charlotte, the trainee nurse, lay dead on the floor, in a pool of her own blood.

  
  
...And Sam was nowhere to be seen.

 

*****************************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O!!!!!!!
> 
> what do you thinks gonna' happen now?!
> 
> write me a comment-let me know what you think!


	11. chapter eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm apologising for the delay in posting this chapter...but life is getting in the way recently.  
> Although, I am half way through the next chapter- which will be the FINAL CHAPTER *hums the final countdown song* :P
> 
> hope you enjoy this and let me know what you think of this chapter :)

Three months. It had been three long months since Dean and Bobby had entered Sam’s room at Peaceful Pines to find him missing. Three months for Dean to agonise about what had happened to his brother.  
 Was he hurt? The obvious struggle that had taken place in the room could have caused his recovery to relapse, could have left him an unresponsive shell once again?

Was he possessed? As the two hunters searched the room, they discovered what may have taken Sam, there was sulfur deposits by the bed, a demon had taken Sammy. Had Charlotte been possessed and then gone onto possess Sam? 

Of course, Bobby had had to bring up the fact, that Dean did not remotely want to consider, the possibility that Sam was…dead.   
Dean whole-heartedly rejected that possibility, after all he had been with his brother practically his whole life, surely if he were…dead…Dean would know? Surely he’d be able to sense that the Little Brother he held in his arms the day he was born was no longer on this Earth…he’d know, wouldn't he?  
  
With this denial, both Dean and Bobby went ahead and got in touch with all of their contacts across the country, asking them to keep an eye out for Sam. Circulating the most recent picture of him, one that had been taken for his patient file for Peaceful Pines. The two hunters then headed back to Bobby’s place in Sioux Falls, both agreeing that whoever had taken Sam would most likely have taken him _out_ of Florida. They also hoped, that by having Bobby’s as a home-base, that the plethora of hunting paraphernalia would work in their favour of finding Sam. Of course, Dean didn't stay at Bobby’s for long, as soon as the first hunter called with a possible sighting of Sam in Wyoming, Dean was off like a bat out of hell…only to return Sam-less and even more downhearted.   
And so, for the next three months, a routine of sorts emerged. The two hunters would scour the internet for any possible lead on demons or Sam, until a hunter rang with a possible lead or a sighting, to which Dean would drive across the country, hoping that _this time_ would be the time he finally found his brother and brought him home, but it never was. 

 

Until….

****************************

“ Alpena, in Michigan, you said?…..And Joe thinks he spotted Sam?…. You’re right that needs checkin’ out….nah me ’n Dean’ll scope it out while we’re checkin’ the lead on Sam. Thanks Jeff”  
Bobby put down the  phone receiver, looking up from his desk to see Dean stood in front of him, already putting on his leather jacket, eager to get out on the road.  
“A lead on Sam? Where to, Bobby?”  
“Now hold your damn horses and let me talk to you a sec, you damn idjit!” the old hunter groused, as he stood up from his desk, earning a scowl from Dean.  
“That was Jeff, and he says that his buddy Joe, thinks he saw Sam and another woman around Alpena in Michigan- WAIT, you idjit, I ain’t finished!” he called to Dean who, once he had been told the state, had started to make his way to the door.   
Bobby continued when Dean stopped in the doorway with an impatient look from the younger man.  
  
“As I was sayin’ there _might’ve_ been a sighting of Sam, but Jeff also told me there’s been some suspicious deaths happenin’ there. So I said _we’ll_ go check it out whilst we’re chasin’ up the lead on Sam. Cause i ain’t willin’ to lose another idjit to those Sons of bitches demons!”   
  
“Well what the hell’re we waiting for? let’s go!” and with that, Dean was out of the door and headed to the Impala.

 

***************************************************

With a determined Dean, who didn't feel the need or inclination to stop for breaks, behind the wheel, the drive from Sioux Falls to Alpena, took them only 12 hours, shaving nearly 2 hours off the usual estimated drive time. It was coming close to 9pm when the two men pulled into the first vacant motel they found.

Bobby had barely exited the car, before Dean was telling him to call the two hunters for more information on Sam’s possible sighting.

With a scowl at the feeling of being bossed around, Bobby got his phone out, before looking back at Dean.

“You go and get us a room while I find out if they’ve got anymore info on those deaths.” the barely contained frustration in Bobby’s voice was obvious. So Dean, wisely, refrained from pushing Bobby’s patience any more and agreed to Bobby’s request.  
  
When he entered the motel reception building, he was met with the sight of a balding, middle-aged and miserable looking man and a teenaged girl. Dean guessed by the slight resemblance the younger woman must have be the man’s daughter, who looked equally miserable at the prospect of spending her Friday night sat in a stuffy Motel reception.   
Dean wasn't even acknowledged by either or the pair, as it became obvious that he had walked in on the middle of a heated discussion between the two.  
  
“…Now listen here Anna-Beth!  I wont say it again! I’m not letting you outta my sight until those _psychos_ are caught, locked up and the keys thrown away!-“  
“But Dad, _everyone’s_ going to be there! I’m gonna look like such a nerd if I don't go! -“  
“Don’t you play the ‘ _but Daaad’_ card on me! There’s a serial killer on the loose! So excuse me for not letting you go to a party that’s just down the street from the warehouse where people keep ending up _dead!”_  
  
Dean’s ears, metaphorically, picked up at that and he sidled up to the  front desk, pulling out his wallet to extract his newest ‘newspaper reporter’ I.D.  
“Sorry to interrupt, my name’s Dean Seger, I work for the Alpena tribunal. I couldn't help overhearing your discussion about a serial killer?  You see, I’m new to town, and my boss is bustin’ my balls, wants me to write an article on these murders. Would you mind giving me the low down on whats been going on in Alpena recently?” Although it had been months since Dean had worked a case, it came back to him as easy as riding a bike. He gave the pair a warm, trustworthy smile, hoping that his acting abilities were not so rusty that he couldn't hide his desperation to find out anything  that could lead to Sam’s whereabouts.

 

His acting seemed to have been enough, as ten minutes later Dean exited the motel reception, with not only a key to a room, but information.

‘Took you long enough!” Bobby grumped, as he picked the duffle bags out of the trunk.

“Well, I had a good chat with the owner, who told me about the string of dead bodies that have been turing up in a warehouse on 34th street, I’m not sure how it could link to where Sam is though… we’re in room 23.” there was a spark in Dean’s eyes, his ingrained hunters instincts unable to ignore the possibilities of a case. Dean slammed the trunk shut and the two men headed to their room, unlocking the door they dumped their duffles by the door.  
  
“Well I think you're on to something with the warehouse, I spoke to Jeff, he hacked into the local police reports for the murders in the warehouse. The victims vary in age and gender and have no apparent links to one another, and the autopsy reports are saying they were all killed in different ways. Added to that, theres been a few reports of a group of 4 people including a ‘distinctively tall, long haired male’, a female, and 2 other males, all different ages, who have been seen hanging round and entering the warehouse. But the police haven't been able to catch them for questioning…that ‘tall, long haired male’ sound familiar to you?”  
  
Dean nodded, distinctively tall…long haired… and with a woman, in an area that people were ending up dead. It sounded an awful lot like Sam and Holly were up to something in that warehouse…but what? and who were the other two men?  
  
“Well I say, lets go check out the warehouse!”

 

**************************************************************

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment and let me know what you think, I'll see you next time for the LAST CHAPTER! 
> 
> :)


	12. Chapter twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is guys, the final Chapter of No Brainer! I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story until the end, despite the fact that it was sometimes months before I updated with a new chapter. Thank you to everyone who has given kudos, comments, subscribed bookmarked, or even just read my little fiction. you guys don't know how much it has meant to me to have people read and (hopefully) enjoy my first multi-chaptered supernatural fic :) 
> 
> It would forever make my day if, for this final chapter, you commented and told me what you thought!
> 
> Just a WARNING, this chapter contains some violence and character death (minor characters).
> 
>  (oh by the way, make sure to read the notes at the end as there will be some info about a NEW story that I'm writing :D)
> 
> Enjoy! :)

The two hunters pulled up in front of the two story warehouse and took a moment to appraise it from the Impala. From the car they could see a faint glow, not obvious at first glance, coming from one of the broken windows up on the second floor.  
“Looks like someones in there, might be rough sleepers, but Jeff says they've been avoidin’ the place cause of the murders.”  
Without further ado, they exited the Impala, gathered their guns loaded with Devil-trap carved bullets,  and headed to the warehouse door. As they entered, they noticed that the door had been left slightly ajar.  
  
Creeping their way up the metal staircase, they then proceeded to silently inch their way to the only door that was wide open,which had a  yellow, flickering light exuding out of the room. When they reached the doorway, both men pressed their backs against the wall each side of the doorway, both quietly removing the safety from their guns. Looking at each other, Bobby silently nodded his agreement that they would enter the room in 3….2…-

_“Just do it!’_ a man’s gruff voice drifted from inside the room.

Dean glanced at Bobby, his brows knitting together in a confused frown.  
_  
“Yeah, do it! Kill_ _him!”_ another man goaded.

There was a muffled sound of protest,  which broke off in a  thump of fist meeting flesh and a whine.  
“Shut up, _you piece of trash, no one asked you!”  
  
_ “ _I…I don’t kn-know…I…can’t_ kill _him”  
_ That was a voice that Dean and Bobby could recognise anywhere: It was Sam!  
  
“ _Relax, Sammy! You can do this! You've_ done this _before, and remember how_ good _it made you feel?”_ this time a woman spoke, it was Holly- or what used to be Holly- as she carried on soothing Sam, an almost, _seductive_ tone to her pacifying.  
“ _We want you to do this Sammy,_ I want you to do this… _and when you do, I’ll give you what you want!”_

The first man who spoke piped up again:

_“Yeah, Blood-sucker, kill this pathetic bastard and you can drink up!”_  
  
_“But I don’t-“_  
  
_“KILL HIM SAM!”_

Dean and Bobby took that as their cue.

“NOBODY MOVE!” Dean shouted, as he and Bobby jumped into the room with their guns raised as they each fired their guns. Two men, stood either side of Sam got hit with the bullets, causing them to light up from the inside as the Demons possessing the meat-suits died, their bodies fell to the floor. This left Holly and Sam, facing one another, and a young man, no older than 25 lying at their feet, bound and gagged, tears silently flowing down his cheeks.

Both Sam and Holly turned to face the two hunters and when Dean caught sight of Sam’s face, his stomach dropped. Sam’s face was blank and emotionless, as if he had no recognition of the two men who had practically raised him. In contrast, Holly’s expression remained cool and collected before a slow shit-eating grin enveloped her face.

“Dean, Bobby! I should have guessed you’d find us eventually. But to be honest, Dean I’m a little disappointed in how long it took you!” Holly moved so that, instead of standing between Sam and Dean, she was stood to Sam’s right side.  
“In fact” she continued in that smug voice that made Dan want to punch her in the face “I’ve been a little disappointed in you for a while. After all, I’ve heard a _lot_ about the ‘famous Winchester brothers’ and how ‘deadly’ they are to us demons. But see, I was in this meat-suit for _months_ and neither of you noticed a thing!” she glanced at Sam, giving him a sympathetic smile as she took a hold of his lax hand.  
  
 “Of course, Sammy here has an excuse, after all it cant be easy hunting when you're barely more than a drooling vegetable. But I expected more from _you,_ Dean. Oh well, at least it made my job easier!” She cackled in amusement.  
“ You made it almost _too_ easy! So easy to get your Precious Sammy hooked on my blood-“  
“NO!” Bobby roared his disgust, and began to lunge at Holly. But a flick of her wrist made him go flying into the furthest wall, knocking him unconscious. Dean could only look on, suddenly unable to move.  
  
He looked to Sam and saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as he witnessed Bobby being hurt and he wavered on the spot, as if he was going to go to where Bobby lay in a heap on the floor.  
  
“No, Sammy!” Holly reprimanded sternly, like you would a disobedient puppy and Sam’s eyes unfocussed again.  
  
“You son of a bitch! What the hell have you done to my brother?” Dean spat, earning a cackle of mirth from Holly.  
  
“Oh Dean, you do make me chuckle! Did you ever stop and think about how Sam, who had almost no hope of recovery, miraculously started to get better? Do you remember the demon that possessed the Doctor back in the hospital? He wasn't trying to kill your brother- that was a ruse. What he was really there to do was feed your brother some of his blood to kick start his recovery! Once he started to recover and he was moved to Peaceful Pines, then it was _my turn_. Get Sammy here to trust me and then to drink my blood. After that it was easy to start whispering in his ear, how _I_ was the only one he needed. That _you_ were the enemy and _I_ was his only friend. I’m pretty sure you noticed how he started pushing you away, in favour of letting _me_ help him-“  
  
“If that’s true, why did Sam call _me_ for help before you took him from the care home?” Dean lifted his chin smugly, showing that he had faith that his brother wouldn't turn on him over a demon  
  
“Ah yes… seems I underestimated Sammy’s recovery and his ability to fight the addiction of my blood. But no matter, now I have him right where I want him.” Holly leaned closer to Sam, pushing her body up against his side whilst reaching up to caress his cheek. All the while, Sam’s face remained blank.  
  
“He’s the perfect weapon. Aim him, and he’ll shoot! Just as long as he gets a nice hit of blood! Let me demonstrate!” She pulled herself from Sam’s side extricating a small knife from the waistband of her jeans. She pulled the sleeve of her t-shirt up to expose her wrist, making a small slash on her wrist where blood began to well in the wound. Dean saw Sam react to the presence of blood, almost as if his brother could _smell it_. His eyes dilated as he turned to face Holly, a look akin to desire flooded his features as he reached a hand out to grab her wrist.  
  
“ Ah ah ah! Sam, we know the rules! No blood until you do something for _me!”_ Holly chuckled, pulling her wrist away from Sam and instead handing him the knife.  
“I want you to _kill him._ ” she commanded, pointing at the man bound on the floor, who began to whimper in fear.  
  
“Sammy, No!” Dean begged, still trapped and unable to move fromHolly’s power over his body.  
  
“ _Yes Sammy! Kill him and then have your reward!”_ Holly hissed, poking her fingers in the wound on her wrist, and then smearing  the blood over Sam’s mouth.  
“KILL HIM!” 

 With an animalistic snarl, Sam lunged at the man, his knife held high as he plunged it into the man’s chest.  There was a small guttural choke and the man went still.  
 He was dead… and Sam had killed him.  
  
Dean choked back a sob as he watched his brother straightened up from his crouch beside the body. There was no other way to describe how his brother looked than chilling. His face was expressionless and blank, and had remained so as he had gone to kill the man. What shook Dean most was there wasn't even a flicker of regret or sadness in his brother’s face, no, Sam now stood licking his lips for every single trace of blood that had been smeared across his lips.

  
“Good boy, Sammy!” Holly purred, holding up her wrist to Sam’s mouth, to which he eagerly latched on to and began suckling.  
  
“Sammy, no!” Dean choked out, trying to bring his brother back to his senses. But it seemed he was too far gone in his lust for Holly’s blood. He didn't even stir from his place at Holly’s side as she stroked her hand through his hair as he continued to drink her blood.  
  
“Now do you see, Dean? Your brother is _mine_ to do whatever I want with, and he wont even flinch!” she pulled her wrist free of Sam’s mouth and gave the hand that went to grab for her again a gentle slap.  
  
“Not yet Sam, Ive got one more job I want you to do tonight. Then you can have as much as you want!” Holly cooed as she stepped away from Sam and towards Dean, where he stood immobile. She walked around him so that she was at his back. She then looped her arms around his waist and lent her chin on his shoulder so she could talk to Sam at the same time.  
“I want you to kill Dean…stab your own brother in the heart!”  
  
Sam took a step towards Dean, raising the knife in his hand.

“Don’t do this, Sammy!” Dean pleaded to him, more scared for Sam than he was about his own life  
“Sammy, listen to me. I know this ain’t really you, that this bitch is pulling the strings. But you're stronger than this Sammy! Fight this!”  
  
Sam wavered mid step, he was only 2 steps away from Dean now, confusion flickered across his eyes.  
  
“Sam, don't listen to him! Just kill him and we can be free of him forever! It’ll be just you and me!” Holly cajoled, her grip on Dean’s waist tightening in anticipation as Sam took another step towards them.  
  
“Sammy, are you really gonna’ let this _bitch_ come between us? After all we've been through-“ Dean’s pleading was cut short as one of Holly’s arm’s moved from his waist to snake around his neck as she pulled back sharply, holding him in a restrictive choke hold.  
  
“ _Enough!_ Sam, Kill him _now!”_  
  
Dean could see the turmoil in Sam’s face as he took the final step to come face to face with his brother. He lifted his arm so the tip of the knife was pressed against Dean’s chest, where his heart was. 

“ _It-It’s Ok…Sammy..I forgive you!”_ Dean gasped desperately through the choke hold he was restricted by. He had accepted his fate, and he wanted his last words to be a comfort to his brother, for when Sam,hopefully, regained his senses. He knew Sam would never forgive himself when he realised what he had done, but Dean could only hope his dying forgiveness would help Sam heal one day.  
  
“ _DO IT NOW!”_ Holly shrieked.  
  
It all happened in a flash.  
  
One minute, Dean was stood restrained by Holly, Sam pressing a knife to his chest. The next moment, the knife clattered to the ground. Sam’s eyes were no longer blank and expressionless, instead they were filled deep with rage.  
  
“ _NO!”_ shouted Sam, as he flung his other arm to the side, causing Dean to fly across the room, thankfully though he didn't hit the wall and instead ended up skidding to a halt on the floor.  
What happened next would be ingrained in Dean’s memory for years to come, as Sam raised his arm, palm out facing Holly.  
  
“ _What- No! You shouldn’t be able to do this- SAM STOP!”_ Holly shouted, it seemed like she was rooted to the spot by Sam, the same as Holly had done to Dean.  
  
“No-one hurts _my brother!”_ Sam hissed, before he closed his eyes, his face focussed and concentrated. It only took a second before Holly started screaming, black smoke trailing out of her mouth. When the smoke tried to leave the room it seemed to get forced back into one place, the demon unable to escape the warehouse. Dean looked over to Sam to see that the concentration that had been showing on his face had now become an expression of pure strain and pain, so much so that his nose had started bleeding profusely.  
  
“Sammy-?” Dean began to stand up, but before he could, Holly gave one final ear splitting scream as the last dregs of the demon were removed from her body and she dropped to the floor. The acrid black smoke seemed to swirl madly for a few moments, before a flash of red light filled the room and the demon was gone.  
Sam’s chest heaved as he gulped in air desperately, before he  fell to the floor in exhaustion.  
  
“ _Sam!”_ Dean scrambled to his feet, running over to his fallen brother and gathering him up in his arms. Dean thanked the heavens when he saw that his brother was still alive, his eyes were clear and emotional as tears welled up in his eyes.  
  
“What have I _done?_ What-what’s happened to me?” he whispered horsely, tears falling rapidly from his eyes.  
  
“It’s ok, Little brother, you're ok!” Dean pulled Sam in closer, hugging the larger man to his chest.  
  
“I’m _so s-sorry_ Dean!” he sobbed, huddling closer to his older brother, his protector.  
Dean hushed him gently, running a hand through his brothers hair in an attempt to soothe his distraught brother.  
  
“We’re gonna get through this, Sammy. Just like we always do, we’ll get through this _together._ I ain’t leaving you, not again!” Dean rambled, trying to soothe, not only his brother’s nerves, but his own from what he had just witnessed.  
  
Dean didn't fully understand what he had just seen Sam do. Hell, Sam himself didn't even understand.  Neither Winchester knew what might happen to them after today, but that was ok, they’d figure it out together; and if more troubles came their way, they’d stick them out together. That, Dean thought to himself, was a No Brainer. 

 

*******************************The End******************************************

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you thank you thank you! for reading No Brainer, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it or even any improvements I could make for next time.
> 
> Speaking of Next Time, I've currently started writing another Supernatural Fic. But, unlike No Brainer, I'm going to make sure I have the majority of it written before I post it on AO3, and hopefully that will reduce the time in between posting chapters as I'll have most of it written out before I post the first chapter.  
> If you want to know what the summary for my new story is, let me know!
> 
> Once again, your kudos and comments are much appreciated!  
> Thank you! :)


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